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New pet owner, new to site, could use open discussion.

enchantress62

enchantress62

In love with Frank
Hi everyone. I have wanted a pet of my own for a long time now and after months of research I have decided a corn snake is the best choice for me. I get my little guy this coming Friday and I'm so excited but none of my friends or family want to talk about it and that's all I want to talk about. Would love to hear about other people's first experiences with their corns.
 
Yep, its very common I think that family members and friends don't like the snakes. They avoid talking about them, which sucks.

I have always been more inot mammals and my favorite pet is rats. I use to breed and show fancy rats in my free time. My bf doesn't get why I like corn snakes, because we are rat lovers.

Corn snakes come in a variety of colors/morphs, they are smaller snakes, and they are easy to handle. They don't require a lot of room and are the perfect pet for apartments.

Be sure to post pictures of yours before you let it settle in!
 
Make sure you do a ton of reading! There's loads of information to learn! Also, what equipment do you have for the enclosure setup?
 
I would recommend two books

Corn Snakes in Captivity (Professional Breeders Series) by Don Soderberg (Oct 1, 2007)

or

Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide (Herpetocultural Library, The) by Kathy Love and Bill Love (Sep 1, 2006)
 
Wow! Thanks for the quick response. Yes I have been reading and will continue to read all I can but nothing is better then hands on experience which is why I'm here talking with you all. I have a tiny bit of experience as my daughter had a corn snake about 10yrs ago but only for a few months. I don't have anything for it yet but know I need a heat source, water dish, substrate, secure cage, etc... all suggestions are greatly appreciated though. I have been out looking and handling different corns and have narrowed my choices down to three snakes which I will choose between on Friday.
 
Cages: There is a lot of choices out, it depends on what you want. Some use zill ages (located at most pet stores), custom built racks (for multiple snakes), custom stacking cages, or storage totes.

I use storage totes, and I use the ones with well fitted locking lids :). A hatchling will try its best to get out of anything you put it in.

Substrates: Many member use aspen wood shavings or paper towel/newspaper. As a hatchling paper towel may be the best.
 
i use paper towels for the hatchlings and newspaper for the adults. shaven substrate is just too messy and dusty for my tastes. the newspaper makes cleaning out and refreshing the tank take about 2 minutes. plus it's cheap or even free if you have family members that take newpapers. ;)
 
A) as a heat source id recommend a heating pad, you can pick them up at any large chain petstore, or the cheaper route is to order online.
B) youll also need substrate like you mentioned. aspen is ideal and affordable.
C) your snake will also need atleast 2 hides- one for the cooler side, and one for the warmer side. these can be bought at a petstore, ordered online, or made from things at home- a coolwhip/sour cream container, etc. just cut a tiny hole at the lip of the bowl for entry/exit.
D) you will need a thermometer and a hygrometer or a therm/hygro combo. you can find them at most pet stores, or online, and digital is always recommended. the little analog cheap dial ones can be up to 20 degrees off up or down, and the hygrometers are also way off. i recommend getting one that has the ability to measure both sides of your tank.
E) youll need a thermostant to regulate the temperature of the warm side of your tank to prevent wacky temp fluctuations, burns, and to maintain a consistent temp, etc.
F) and last but not least, youll need feeders. i recommend www.laynelabs.com for ordering feeders, you can order in bulk like up to 1000, or as little as 25, which is handy if you dont have a lot fo snakes and dont want to pay for 100 mice minimum at once, which will most likely result in waste.
G) like you said a small waterbowl too, and i think thats all off the top of my head.


and i always recommend ordering online from somewhere like bigappleherp.com, petmountain, etc. its muchhhh cheaper than store bought supplies. hope this helps =] sorry so long! =p good luck
 
Congrats on your first corn!

I suggest going to the dollar store and looking around for inspiration. Some of my corns' favorite hides are bowls from there with holes cut in the top. There are also great water dishes and vines at the dollar store.

I will never forget my first corn- a little Anery baby. She grew up beautifully.
 
Congrats and welcome! I'm new too :cheers:

I've had my first corn now for about 5 weeks and all is going well so far! I've got several feedings under my belt and one shed. I can already tell she has grown, and she feels stronger in my hands. Wish I had a scale when I first got her so I knew what her "starting" weight was (she's now almost 9 grams).

Now I'm working on handling her more and more to get her used to being picked up. She handles quite well already (once you've got a hold of her). I've tried to keep things as calm as possible for a while to really let her settle in.

Make sure to take pictures at least once between sheds to keep track of how their pattern changes! I was shocked at how much different she looks after just one shed. There's a lot of learn-as-you-go, but it's also good to have a book or two and people with experience to talk to.
 
I just got my two(one if my BF's but I will be doing the care so I consider her mine too) and it has been great fun. I have tried to resist handling much, but it's hard. I know how exciting it has been to watch my bearded dragons grow and change with every shed, so I am looking forward the same experience with my corns!

I had a small flower pot that they both seem to love! I knocked out an opening on the lip, used a nail file to grind off any sharp edges,and put a glob of hot glue in the drain hole because it was so small, and turned it upside down. They love peeking their heads out the "windows" to see what's what. LOL
 
I'm so glad I have you guys to talk with about my new baby (Frank). No one in my circle of friends understands how I can be head over heals for a snake or how I can think he's cute. I keep reminding myself how lucky I am that I get it. I mean does anyone else feel like your privileged to some well kept secret?:laugh:
 
enchantress62 said:
I'm so glad I have you guys to talk with about my new baby (Frank). No one in my circle of friends understands how I can be head over heals for a snake or how I can think he's cute. I keep reminding myself how lucky I am that I get it. I mean does anyone else feel like your privileged to some well kept secret?:laugh:[/QUOT]

i totally feel ya there. some of my friends are curious about the snakes, some are like ughhh, and would rather not talk about them. and the same thing with not understanding how i could be so in love and infatuated with my snakes. i think "how could i NOT be?!" haha. oh well, its their loss to this well kept secret that they dont want to be a part of, right?
Click to expand...
 
Yeah. I am like a little kid sometimes with my dragons(and will be with my snakes too) because I like to shock people a bit. Most people are like....ewww. It is fun to watch the facial expressions when you talk about how they like to cuddle with you and how they have such personalities. I am a receptionist and I often have pics of my dragons as my wallpaper. I can't wait to use my snake pics too. I am a bad bad girl...<giggle>
 
I had a friend who would never even touch my beardie! And he was the so mellow. I couldn't imagine her not even touch him when I was holding him.

I've got someone staying with me and I think she kinda likes my snakes. Another friend seems quite curious and will touch them.

I think the just so darn cute and I can't imagine not loving them!
 
Yea I've been more excited about Frank then any other pet I've ever had and he's only been in my home for three days. lol I've stopped trying to analyse my own interest but the brat in me is amused by the eeewwww reaction I get when I talk about loving him. Hehe so it's official we are a secret society of corny lovers.
 
I would highly recommend that you get your snake's viv set up now so the temps are regulated by the time he/she comes home. There is nothing worse than getting a new snake and having a viv that hasn't been regulated, waking up the next day and finding your new snake has passed because it got "cooked".

If you are getting a hatchling, go over your viv triple extra carefully to make sure there is absolutely no way it can escape. Corn snakes are the Houdini's of the snake world and if you give them just the tiniest of openings, they WILL get out. This forum has too many threads about lost snakes as it is, and even the long-time "experts" get escapees (I had an adult escape 2 weeks after I got her just a few months ago. We found her but I was kicking myself for the 10 days she was gone.)

Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if you have to send an e-mail or PM to another member. Any of the mods (their name is green ;)) would be more than happy to help you if you feel embarrassed or unsure about posting something on the main forum. Some topics can be a bit touchy and you may see some "enthusiastic" responses, but please don't let that get to you. A handful of members sometimes post that way on certain subjects and any of us can have a bad day. Overall, this is the BEST forum on corn snakes and it's the internet home for many of us.
 
enchantress62 said:
I'm so glad I have you guys to talk with about my new baby (Frank). No one in my circle of friends understands how I can be head over heals for a snake or how I can think he's cute. I keep reminding myself how lucky I am that I get it. I mean does anyone else feel like your privileged to some well kept secret?:laugh:
Click to expand...

I feel the exact same way. Most people's reaction is "I don't get it" mixed with various degrees of disgust and fear, depending on the person. I've only had a couple of people (outside the forum) say, "Awwww, she's CUTE!" I feel bad for people who don't realize how cool snakes are.

I'm like you in that I'm amused but also curious about people's responses to snakes. Sometimes I ask them, "Did you have a bad experience with a snake once?" You know, to try to get to source of their discomfort. I've always believed that parents do the disservice of teaching children that all snakes are bad or dangerous. But, part of it might just be instinctual. We evolved on the African plains, where there were a lot of snakes that could kill you and could be accidentally stepped on (puff adders, cobras, etc.). Happens a lot even today much of the developing world (it amounts to thousands of deaths a year in places like India). So, it makes *some* sense to have an instinctual aversion. I guess all of us here are a bit more evolved ;)
 
I agree that some fear comes from our parents teaching us the danger and I also think religion has a place in perpetuating the fear but I'm curious why people want to stay afraid even when they are told that corns have no fangs and are not poisonous. I was bitten by a wild Boa when I lived in Panama, as a child, and was for days afterward. Mostly I was hysterical because I didn't know what kind of snake it was. You would think I would have grown up terrified of them right? Maybe I'm just weird but that incident only made me more curious. Yet those I talk with in our "Technically superior society" with info available at the touch of a finger dismiss the subject as if I'm asking them to talk about some taboo.
 
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